Otitis media is a very common childhood infection involving inflammation of the middle ear marked by pain, fever, dizziness and abnormalities of hearing. It frequently requires surgical intervention when antibiotics are not sufficient to bring about recovery. Surgical intervention consists of making a surgical hole in the tympanic membrane, usually performed under general anesthesia. Tubes are placed in the hole for drainage of pus from the afflicted middle ear. The problems raised with the present surgery include: (1) the added risk to the patient with general anesthesia; (2) the necessity of making an appointment for the patient in a hospital for administration of the general anesthesia and surgery at considerable cost to the patient; (3) the usual requirement for the specialist services of an otolaryngologist to perform the operation, again at considerable cost; and (4) the inserted tubes may become blocked or fall out and thus require replacement.
CO.sub.2 lasers have been proposed for use in the surgical treatment for diseases such as otitis media. However, such lasers have been difficult to properly aim and are not nearly small enough to be part of a conveniently maneuverable hand-held auricular instrument. Another drawback is that they work by thermal burning, which means that adhesion is formed to the underlying infection and thereby obtains unduly rapid healing in lieu of the moderately progressive healing that results in a successful operation.